"The lively musical
comedy has
splendid dancing, but the story is not so splendid."

Reviewed by Dennis Schwartz

The lively musical comedy has splendid dancing, but the
story is
not so splendid. It plays out as a spoof on bad television programs and
hard-sell advertising, and offers its cynical take on the world of
business.
The mixture of happy music and somber storytelling didn't go over with
the public, who didn't support the film. After a fourteen-year
relationship,
Stanley Donen and Gene Kelly codirect their last musical together and
because
of bitter fights over artistic matters during filming also ended their
friendship. This is a follow-up (not a sequel) to their hit musical On
the Town (1949), the duo also codirected Singin' In The Rain
(1952)--their
greatest film and a true classic. The story in It's Always Fair
Weather,
like the other films they codirected, is also written by Betty Comden
and
Adolph Green. The writers in this one replace the sailors with
soldiers.
The reason being is that the sailors with Gene in On The Town, Frank
Sinatra
and Jules Munshin, had other commitments and weren't available.

Three old World War II soldier buddies--Ted Riley, Doug
Hallerton
and Michael Kidd (Gene Kelly, Dan Dailey, Michael Kidd)--meet for the
first
time in ten years in Tim's Bar and Grill in NYC as arranged when they
returned
from the war on October 11, 1945, and find that things have drastically
changed for them compromising their once close friendship.

A now stuffy grey-flannel attired Doug has plenty of dough
but is
unhappy. He lives in Chicago and is no longer a painter or a
free-spirited
guy, but has traded in his dreams to be an artist to become instead an
ad man veep who suffers from ulcers and whose wife wants a divorce from
their childless marriage. Doug designs animated-mop characters to sell
products like "Klenzrite." Angie is a hick from Schenecdaty, in upstate
NY, who has become small-minded. He owns a roadside hamburger stand
with
the overblown ritzy name of The Cordon Bleu, and is a happily married
family
man. Their leader, sergeant Ted, is the biggest disappointment. He's a
bachelor living in NYC, and has led a disappointing life as a
knockaround
and is now involved with low-life crooked gamblers and promoters as he
manages a promising prizefighter, Kid Mariacchi, who he believes is his
ticket to big money. The other two easily spot that Ted has become a
heel.
While dining in a high-class club, compliments of Doug, Ted makes a
play
for one of the restaurant patrons, the attractive Jackie Leighton (Cyd
Charisse), another advertising person, who works for the same company
as
Doug. Jackie's a production aide on the hit live reality TV show
Midnight
With Madeline, starring the insincere sugary hostess Madeline Bradville
(Dolores Gray). Smelling a good story over the soldier reunion, Jackie
works her tail off to keep the three alienated friends from splitting
and
secretly gets them there for that night's performance to make their
story
the show's subject. In the process Ted and Jackie fall in love, and the
comedy works overtime to show how crass and manipulative both
television
and the advertising business can be. In the final act, the boys join
forces
together to help Ted fight back against crooked fight promoter Culloran
(Jay C. Flippen), who spoiled the fight game for Ted by having his
fighter
setup to take a dive. It ends in a climactic fistfight that is seen on
the live TV program (a parody of the 1950 show This is Your Life), as
the
three soldiers unite again to take on the racketeer Culloran and a
couple
of his goons.

The heart of the film follows the trio and their
misadventures after
their 10-year reunion and how each is disillusioned with life and how
each
has strayed from their dreams and their former sincerity. In the end,
the
film ends on an optimistic note as the boys will now try and live more
honest lives.

What keeps this film in step is its terrific dance and
musical numbers.
It's wonderful to see Kelly, Dailey and Kidd hoofing with garbage can
lids
on one foot; Kelly roller skating over the city streets while love
sick;
Dolores Gray knocking off a male chorus line via trap doors and
exploding
stage props; Gray singing the sparkling song "Thanks a Lot But No
Thanks;"
Charisse in a sexy dance ("Baby, You Knock Me Out") taking place at
Stillman's
Gym; Dailey while soused singing a dandy little ditty called
"Situation-Wise"
to a bunch of hucksters; and the engaging ditty sung by the trio of "I
Shouldn't Have Come."

Some other songs include "March, March," "Time for
Parting," "Stillman's
Gym," "Once I Had a Friend," and "I Like Myself."